A council has appointed its very own ‘Pothole Man’ in the latest cabinet reshuffle.

Essex County Council leader, David Finch, created the pothole portfolio of 'Highways Maintenance and Small Scheme Delivery' on Monday.

Eddie Johnson, current deputy member for highways, will take up the role on September 1, with Ray Howard the deputy cabinet member.

Rodney Bass will remain cabinet member for Highways and Transportation and is expected to oversee major road projects.

Cllr Johnson said: “I think it’s long overdue that more than one person works on the portfolio but I am still in the dark over what my exact responsibilities will be and how the workload will be split.

“Potholes come under maintenance but I’m sure there will be a lot of other projects I will be working on.”

Cllr Finch said: “The changes I have announced today will bring fresh thinking to help us face head-on the huge challenges ahead of us and make the tough choices we may need to solve them.

“Essex residents can rest assured we will continue to listen to their views before making these decisions, but we will not shirk from them if they need to be made.”